{Pilot Training Module 15: True Pilot}
Eris blinked to adjust to the ambient light, shielding her eyes with her hand from the blazing sun. The simulation was annoyingly realistic. Recovering, she looked ahead and saw two Pilots and a Titan holding a man.
"What did this guy drink?"
"I'm through with the Frontier! Ya hear me, MacAllan? I'm through— urgh..." Barker, swinging like a ragdoll in the Titan's metallic hand, tried to say something heroic before vomiting.
"Damn this guy smells; you know him or somethin'?" The other Pilot wrinkled his nose.
"Yeah... Barker was my... wingman in the Titans Wars." MacAllan replied between heavy breaths, lifting a manhole cover.
"I'm gonna kick ALL your arses!" Barker rambled until he realized the Titan was lowering him into the sewer. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?"
"He may not look like much, but trust me, we're gonna need him, he's a helluva Pilot," MacAllan said to the Pilot, who was already climbing down, and soon followed him, sealing the lid behind.
"Frontier whiskey? You can't drink that piss! Hey, lemme go!" Barker's muffled voice sounded one last time.
'I guess our mission is to save this idiot's ass. Thought the last module would be tougher.' Eris shook her head in exasperation and put on her Pilot helmet. The HUD blinked with Cloak and Jumpkit status.
"Finally, some action after fourteen boring training modules," Eris muttered, inspecting her loadout. She wielded an R-97 Compact SMG as her primary, a RE-45 Autopistol holstered at her hip, a Data Knife, grenades, and, judging by the weight on her back, clearly an Anti-Titan weapon, an Archer Heavy Rocket.
("Ok, Bish, package on the way. Start the music") said MacAllan through the comms.
("Copy that, Mac. All pilots, keep the IMC distracted on top until we get all clear. Good luck.")
("Good luck, people, give 'em hell. MacAllan out.")
("...")
("Seven—six—eleven—five, nine-an'-twenty mile to-day")
("Four—eleven—seventeen—thirty-two the day before.")
Eris had heard this damn poem too many times in the Titan modules. It was like it was embedded in her skull, maybe part of the sim, maybe not.
She only knew she'd save the last bullet in the magazine.
For herself.
Eris sighed. Her dim eyes scanned the others around her. The other Pilots looked unshaken. She wondered which of them were Ouroboros soldiers infiltrating the simulation. It was impossible to see anyone's face, all of them hidden behind helmets, cold and lifeless like death.
"Ok, let's move people! Let's buy 'em some time!" the Militia captain rallied the troops before entering the Titan. With the order, everyone broke into a sprint. Even carrying heavy gear, they kept pace, wall-running with finesse.
("Boots, boots, boots, boots, movin' up and down again!")
The boots hit the roof with a dry thud. Eris and her squad were scattered across the cracked concrete of the roof. The jumpkits hissed, their sturdy bodies absorbing the impact like tickles.
For a moment, Angel City fell silent as troops from both sides took up positions.
("There's no discharge in the war!")
Until the Titans arrived in the center of Angel City, the first shot broke the silence, and then all hell broke loose.
The city ignited. Firelines ripped through the air like glowing serpents, and the Titans' roars echoed between skyscrapers like thunder. Explosions rocked the buildings, facades crumbled under heavy fire, and every corner became an ambush and a site of gunfire.
("Don't, don't, don't, don't, look at what's in front of you.")
"Visual on IMC forces, northwest building!" One of the pilots on Eris' right marked the enemies on the minimap, pointing to a group in a defensive position.
Eris moved fast, stealth mode activated, her body vanishing in a shimmering distortion. She ran along the rooftop, leaping over obstacles, flanking IMC soldiers unnoticed, all thanks to the torturous training of Module 01.
("Boots, boots, boots, boots, movin' up and down again!")
The first enemy didn't even have time to scream.
Eris slid beneath the shadow of the parapet, the ground scraping under her knees. The blade went straight between an IMC soldier's shoulders, a sharp crack as his clavicle broke, followed by the thud of a lifeless body.
Before the other enemy noticed, her R-97 was already aimed.
("Men, men, men, men, men go mad with watchin' em,")
The Cloak dissolved, revealing her to the second target. Three short bursts. One to the chest, two to the helmet, he was done.
Blood splattered the wall like red brushstrokes.
"Contact! Cloaked enemy!"
Too late
("There's no discharge in the war!")
The Ouroboros squad had already begun their assault on the opposite side of the roof, creating a deadly crossfire. One of the Pilots dropped from above, activating a grenade mid-fall; the explosion shredded the nearby IMC soldiers.
An Ogre Titan on the street below detected the rooftop conflict and fired an explosive 40mm shell. The shockwave shook the building, tearing off a corner and spraying shrapnel in all directions. Eris felt the impact vibrate through her chest as the structure tilted dangerously, throwing her off balance, and she began to slide toward the edge.
("Enemy Titan, Ogre-class, flanking!")
("Where's our backup?!")
("On the way! Hold tight!")
Down below, an Atlas rounded the corner at full speed and rammed the Ogre, slamming the behemoth against a building. The screech of twisting metal echoed like thunder.
("If—your—eyes—drop, they will get atop o' you!")
Eris got to her feet in one swift motion as she pulled the Anti-Titan Archer from her back, firing the moment the reticle locked on the IMC Ogre.
*Vhooooosh*
The Ogre turned quickly and raised a Vortex Shield, intercepting the missile and flinging it back toward its attacker before returning focus to the Militia Atlas.
Eris watched the rocket flying toward her. Without panicking, she activated her jumpkit and launched off the building's edge, sprinting along the side of a billboard and diving through a broken window into an abandoned apartment.
*BOOOM*
Inside, she encountered more resistance. IMC soldiers opened fire. She dove behind a fallen table, returning blind fire without exposing herself.
("Your Titan is ready for launch. Call when you're ready.")
Eris called her Titan and activated Cloak. Leaping from cover, she didn't hesitate — straight through the window.
("Boots, boots, boots, boots, movin' up and down again!")
A Stryder fell from the sky like a lightning bolt, landing with a seismic crash. The cockpit opened, steam venting from its metal seams. A titanium hand caught her mid-air and placed her into the seat before sealing the hatch shut.
"Systems online. Welcome back, Pilot," Stryder greeted calmly, his voice steady even in the middle of hell.
"This is starting to get repetitive." Eris stretched her arms to the controls as Stryder transferred interface access via neural link.
Her HUD flickered briefly with static interference as the Stryder stepped forward through the smoking wreckage of Angel City. Twisted metal, fragments of buildings, and Spectre carcasses littered the ground.
"Hostile Titan detected," Stryder warned.
Eris turned to the target, raising the PR-01 Plasma Railgun. She activated the optical zoom and aimed.
The target appeared in her sights, an Atlas, slowly moving through an open area in the center of the park. Its armor was scorched and riddled with bullet marks. One of its arms dangled, nearly disconnected. Each step was hesitant, unbalanced.
She squeezed the trigger to the pre-charge stage. The weapon's core glowed blue, whining with stored energy.
But she didn't fire.
The Titan... was turning. Its movements traced a circle into the grass. One half-turn. Then another. And another. Like an animal trapped in an invisible loop, wandering in circles.
Eris frowned. She zoomed in to the maximum.
The front damage was severe. Part of the cockpit armor had been ripped away, enough for her to see inside. Behind the shredded metal and burned-out cable bundles... was the pilot.
("An' there's no discharge in the war!")
Or what was left of him.
The body slumped forward, still strapped into the seat. The cracked pilot helmet revealed empty, lifeless eyes. But faint twitches in the limbs maintained some residual link with the Titan, as the last activities of the nervous system from a corpse.
Eris eased off the trigger. The charge dissipated.
"IMC Titan neutralized..." Eris murmured, more to herself than to the comms. "...he just doesn't know it yet. Poor bastard. A ghost Titan."
The Atlas kept wandering, unaware that its pilot was already dead, like a loyal dog guarding its master's grave.
("Pilot, the battle's over. We've taken too many losses.") Bish was transmitted to all Pilots. ("Fall back and secure the evac point for extraction.")
("Mac, what's your status?")
("We got Barker and we're clear. But just barely. See you back on the Redeye.")
She pivoted her Stryder and joined a group of retreating friendly Titans. The Widow dropships were already descending at the harbor, retro thrusters kicking up dust and debris as they prepared to extract what was left of the militia force.
("Hey, don't leave me behind! I need assistance!") A pilot's voice came through the comms.
Without hesitation, Eris slammed her Stryder into motion. The chassis hissed as she dropped low and boosted forward, gliding across the fractured pavement. She dashed between burning wreckage and shattered buildings, closing the distance to the embattled Ogre.
Eris placed her Stryder next to the Ogre, his armor burnt and dented. The HUD highlighted to show three enemies used a fallen building as cover.
A barrage of Rocket Salvo launched from the Stryder's shoulder pods, shrieking across the air and slamming into the enemy's cover. The explosion tore through the structure, sending twisted metal and burning bodies flying through the smoke.
At the same time, she started charging the Plasma Railgun.
But before she could fire—
"Rodeo Alert!" Stryder warned, his systems capturing an enemy Grapple.
"Get off me."
She didn't panic. The rail cannon was already ready. With a twist of her torso, she lined up the shot before the IMC pilot could climb on top of the Stryder.
*Boom*
The rail round fired point-blank, vaporizing the Pilot in a flash of plasma. His upper half disintegrated, the lower half falling limp before tumbling off in a sizzling heap.
("Time's up, we gotta take off! Hit it!") The Widow pilot shouted, he couldn't wait any longer.
("Go, I've got you covered!") The Ogre's Pilot shouted through comms.
Eris retreated in Widow's direction, her Stryder's shields almost falling off. Behind her, the Ogre Titan moved in reverse, counterattacking with his Triple Threat, protecting the retreat.
The Ogre raised his Vortex Shield. Bullets, missiles, and projectiles rapidly crashed into the vortex, but the midai floated harmlessly.
Eris reached the ramp and turned her cockpit to face the chaos.
("We're clear! Move!")
The Ogre retracted and released Vortex Shield. The trapped projectiles surged forward, hurling destruction back toward the IMC firing line. The resulting explosions lit up the streets.
With perfect timing, the Ogre turned, stomping into the drop bay just as the Widow's doors slammed shut. The magnetic seals locked with a deep, metallic thud.
*BANG* *BOOOM* *CLANG*
Several rounds and missiles impacted the exterior plating, rocking the ship. The shields flickered under pressure but held.
Inside, the deck vibrated under his feet as the ship took off. The hatches of the Titans opened, letting Eris and the pilot fall exhausted and with uneven breathing onto the cold floor of the Widow.
"Nice timing." Eris removed her helmet slowly, sweat streaking her brow.
"Don't mention it," the other pilot replied, pulling off his helmet. He was young, with short hair, soot across his face, but his eyes held a calm far older than he looked. "I'm Henry. Henry Delano."
"Eris," she offered, wiping her forehead with the back of her glove, tucking some loose hair behind her ear.
"Is there something on my face?" Eris asked when she saw Henry looking at her in a daze.
"Nothing, nothin' at all. I just didn't expect to have such a beautiful girl as Pilot."
"Didn't think someone who looks like an intern could keep an Ogre running."
"You're makin' fun of me," Henry gave a small, tired laugh. "You know, I'm goin' to be the father of two kids."
Eris raised an eyebrow
"You look way too young to have children."
"The boy's name is Matheus. His sister... well, her mother chose the name."
"Really? What's her name?"
Henry smiled slightly, tilting his head.
"I dunno. You tell me."
Eris blinked, confused. Then her eyes widened as realization hit.
"Oh... OH!"
"Ouch! Why did you hit me?"
"You look punchable." Eris laughed, feeling relieved that the strange voice had stopped.
"Anyway, you're not from around here, are you? Don't remember seein' you in the Titan Wars on Demeter."
"I—"
("TRY—TRY—TRY—TRY to think o' something different")
The inside of the Widow turned crimson, alarms blaring.
"Missiles incoming— SHIT!" Shouted the pilot from the front.
*BOOOM*
The ship rocked violently, throwing bodies against walls and rails.
A high-pitched whine sliced through the chaos, then a sharp impact slammed into the side of the hull. A portion of the lateral hatch exploded outward. The roar of rushing air turned deafening as the pressure inside equalized.
Outside, a Titan was cutting through the clouds at high speed, its red eye seeming to pierce the soul of everyone present.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" a pilot yelled, barely clinging to a side handle.
"It looks like a Stryder! That thing's flying!"
The hull groaned. The deck tilted.
Eris lost her footing first. The violent draft yanked her backward, boots scraping helplessly across the metal floor. Her hand shot out to grab anything, but she missed.
She was going out.
"ERIS!" Henry dove toward her, catching her wrist with both hands, his boots slipping. Her legs were already outside the ship, flailing over open air.
Eris screamed, grabbing Henry's arm as both were pulled into the open sky.
They were falling.
Henry activated his grapple mid-fall, but released Eris; they would survive a fall, but not with an enemy Titan nearby. He grabbed Northstar's leg with perfect timing. He began climbing the enemy chassis and removing the titan's batteries.
"We're both dying here." Henry pulled out a grenade, pulled out the pin, and threw it into the cockpit before Northstar's hand hit him, leaving Henry unconscious.
"Henry, no!" Eris screamed.
*BOOOOM*
She dove through the air, arms stretched, eyes tracking—
Henry is still falling.
She caught up to him in the final seconds before the trees. One arm wrapped around his chest. A burst of reverse-thrust ignited as the jumpkit flared, slowing their descent enough.
Not far away, Widow and Northstar fell, sending tremors through the ground.
Henry woke up, he was destroyed, his face covered in blood. Unknown was his internal integrity.
"Dies in *cough* *cough* the arms of a beautiful woman, every man's dream. I can't complain."
"SHUT UP!"
"I guess... I... was finally... at... the end of... my rope. Don't *cough* bury me, put me... in my Titan." The air was escaping from his lungs, it was difficult for him to formulate a single word. The extent of his internal damage was unclear.
"What are you saying? Just keep quiet, you'll be fine."
Henry closed his eyes and shook his head.
"Just... do it."
Eris wanted to argue back, but he took him to the fallen Widow, where his Ogre was, and put him inside the TItan.
"This Titan... cockpit will become... my tomb. Two legends... one legacy." Henry said his last words, his hand losing strength and falling loosely.
("Oh—my—God—keep, ME FROM GOIN' LUNATIC!")
"HAHAHAHAHAHAAHA!!!" Eris laughed wildly.
("BOOTS, BOOTS, BOOTS, BOOTS, MOVIN' UP AND DOWN AGAIN!")
The world cracked inside her chest. Her mouth opened, trying to scream, to vomit out the grief twisting inside.
("THERE'S NO DISCHARGE IN THE WAR!")
But nothing came.
Just silence. Just tears. Just shaking.
{WARNING: NEURAL INSTABILITY DETECTED}
{SIMULATION ERROR: CORE TRAUMA BREACH}
"Spyglass, pull her out. NOW."
"Confirmed. Commencing forced extraction."
The pod hissed violently. Internal clamps disengaged. Hydraulic pistons vented compressed air with a sharp *PSHHHH*. The pod's shell lifted slowly, steam rising from the internal cradle.
Eris collapsed forward. Her body convulsed in small spasms. Her eyes flicked erratically beneath half-closed lids.
Maxwell was at her side in seconds. Pulled her into his arms, gripping her tightly. She was trembling hard enough to shake his own frame.
"Eris! Look at me. You're out, you're okay. Calm down!"
She didn't respond. Her pupils were dilated, her breath coming in fast, ragged gasps.
"Get a wheelchair, now!" Maxwell shouted over his shoulder. "Eris, listen to me! Breathe. Just breathe."
Eris' world began to darken, the sounds became muffled, then she blacked out.